Cable connectors for heavy duty electrical cables have long been known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 461,868, issued Oct. 27, 1891 to J. H. Fleming which discloses a cable connector comprising a metallic coupling sleeve within which the wires of cables to be connected are inserted from opposite ends. After the wires are inserted within the metallic sleeve, the sleeve is deformed by bending the sleeve and the inserted wires simultaneously to define alternate shoulders on opposite sides of the sleeve. The wires are shaped in close correspondence with the shoulders and remain in close engagement at all points within the sleeve. In Fleming the shoulders are preferably formed by a bending tool having a series of alternating fingers or bending projections, but Fleming discloses that the projections may be formed by means of ordinary pliers or other tools.
It is with a metallic sleeve connector of the type disclosed in Fleming with which the present invention is particularly concerned. Other patents disclosing cable connectors and known to applicant are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,858,284 issued May 17, 1932 to Horace Schwartz; 1,998,518 issued Apr. 23, 1935 to Joseph L. Mraz; 2,276,140 issued Mar. 10, 1942 to K. H. Andren; 2,375,741 issued May 8, 1945 to Bern Dibner; 2,672,596 issued Mar. 16, 1954 to Theodore J. Grypma; 2,907,814 issued Oct. 6, 1959 to Edward S. Raila et al; 2,917,569 issued Dec. 15, 1959 to Robert Senior, Jr.; 3,040,292 issued June 19, 1962 to Arthur A. Bernard; 3,500,296 issued Mar. 10, 1970 to Michael F. O'Keefe et al; 4,087,889 issued May 9, 1978 to Shintaro Ohba et al. 3,978,899 issued Sept. 7, 1976 to Theodor Schroder does not disclose a cable connector but it is of interest as disclosing the slitting of metal to define deformable portions.